CHAPTER 6: REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Briefly describe the two main layout types and mention their main
advantages and disadvantages.

2. Name some ways that a layout can help or hinder productivity.

3. An assembly line with 17 tasks is to be balanced. The longest task is 2.4

minutes and the total time for all the task is 18 minutes. The line will operate
for 450 minutes per day.
a. What are the minimum and maximum cycle times?
b. What range of output is theoretically possible for the line/
c. What is the minimum number of workstations needed if the maximum
output range is to be sought?
d. What cycle time will provide an output rate of 125 units per day?
e. What output potential will result if the cycle time is 9 minutes?

4. As part of a major plant renovation project, the industrial engineering

department has been asked to balance a revised assembly operation to
achieve an output of 240 units per eight-hour day. Task times and
precedence relationships are as follows:
Task
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Do each of the following:

Duration (minutes)
0.2
0.4
0.2
0.4
1.2
1.2
1.0

Immediate Predecessor
a
b
d
c
e, f

a. Draw the precedence diagram.

b. Determine the minimum cycle time, the maximum cycle time and the
calculated cycle time.
c. Determine the minimum number of stations needed.
d. Assign tasks to workstations on the basis of greatest number of following
tasks. Use longest processing time as a tiebreaker. If ties still present,
assume indifference in choice.
e. Compute the percentage of idle time for the assignment in part d.